Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust apologised after a dad was left dying in agony in hospital

A daughter whose dad was left dying in agony just weeks after being admitted to hospital for a check-up on a chest condition has won her compensation battle.

X-Rays revealed ex-shipyard worker Matthew Hunter suffered a fractured hip and a broken wrist after falling twice before his death at North Tyneside General Hospital.

The vulnerable great-grandad was left in pain for hours without medication before he eventually lost his fight for life.

Now the 82-year-old’s daughter Ruth Johnson has been awarded thousands of pounds in compensation and secured an apology from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

The 63-year-old said: “My dad suffered from dementia but it was my poorly dad who said ‘you wouldn’t treat a dog like this’ and you wouldn’t.”

Matthew sustained injuries during time in hospital, his family are seeking answers.

Mr Hunter was referred to hospital by his GP on December 21, 2009, over fears he had fluid on his lungs and medical staff at the hospital recommended he stayed over Christmas.

And it was as Mrs Johnson, a retired financial advisor from Rose Hill, Wallsend, North Tyneside, visited her dad on Boxing Day she noticed his condition had deteriorated.

It was later revealed that he had fallen twice during his three-week stay in hospital and in between her visits - despite her desperate pleas to nursing staff to keep a close eye on him.

And the injuries were too serious for Mr Hunter, who lived in sheltered accommodation in Osborne House, in Wallsend, to undergo the surgery needed to drain the fluid from his lungs and he died on January 11 2010.

The Trust apologised to the family, who received thousands of pounds in damages.

Ruth, who has brother Malcolm Hunter, 60, and sister Marion Hunter-Morris, 64, said: “It was devastating to see him like that. I wouldn’t want to see another human being put in that bed and being treat the way my dad was.

“It was inhuman.

Matthew with four generations of his family.

“He was a very peaceful man and he was lovely to look after. He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve to be left in pain for so many hours.”

Mrs Johnson enlisted the help of Thompson and Co Solicitors to find out the exact details surrounding her dad’s death.

She said: “It’s a relief that we have finally found the truth.

“It’s not about the money it was about them admitting that they had made a mistake. It was about finding out they had made a mistake.

“How could they leave a man lying in bed in absolute agony - that was terrible and unacceptable.

“He was a lovely gentleman and I was proud to be his daughter.”

Philip Thompson, clinical negligence specialist solicitor at the firm, said: “We had significant concerns about the way Mr Hunter was treated whilst he was in hospital. He was allowed to fall twice which meant he could not undergo treatment for his chest condition.

“What is more concerning is the fact that he was lying in agony and had not even been given painkillers to ease his suffering. We are pleased to have secured this settlement for Mrs Johnson, but nothing can bring her father back, and the most important thing here is for lessons to be learned to ensure nobody else suffers in this way.”

A spokesperson for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to extend our sincere condolences to Mr Hunter’s family for their very sad loss in 2010.

“We care for thousands of frail elderly patients every single day across our hospitals and making sure they are safe and that we minimise any potential risk of falls whilst they are in our care is an absolute priority.

“Whilst not all falls are preventable, we have made significant progress to reduce the number of falls in our hospitals in the past five years and this continues to be a core safety focus for all of our staff.

“Those patients who are at risk have a falls assessment on admission to our hospitals and a new campaign has also been launched on the wards to ensure that we are doing all that we can, together with the support of staff, patients and families, to prevent any patient from falling.”

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